Monday, May 05, 2008

If you’ve ever had breakfast in Austin, chances are you’ve had a plate of migas. This dish of eggs scrambled with fried corn tortilla strips, salsa and cheese is ubiquitous in some of the Texas capital city’s most popular breakfast spots, including Las Manitas where it’s almost a crime not to order their marvelous migas. I have fond memories of spending lazy mornings in this bustling Congress Avenue diner, scooping spoonfuls of the crunchy, cheesy eggs and bacon-laced refried beans into fluffy flour tortillas. There’s no better way to start the day.

I took a holiday from my office last week and subsequently decided to take a holiday from the Internet as well. Do you remember what life was like before we became beholden to the Interweb machine? I had forgotten, and it was satisfying spending most of my time in the real world. Though I have to admit that not only did I upset my mom when I didn’t respond to an e-mail from her within 24 hours but I am also now woefully behind on correspondence with others. No matter, I haven’t felt this recharged in years!

One of the things I insisted on doing every morning was starting my day with a satisfying meal, the kind of food that normally I just don’t have the time to either make at home or linger over in a breakfast spot. One of the things I craved was migas. You won’t find migas on menus here in New York City but there is something a bit similar, chilaquiles, which someone I know insists is just a fancy-pants way of saying migas. But I have to disagree.There have been endless debates if chilaquiles and migas are the same thing. There’s no need to question this further: there is indeed a difference, however slight. Chilaquiles, which are also made with fried tortilla strips, traditionally are just the tortillas, salsa and cheese; you don’t need eggs for the dish to qualify as chilaquiles. Furthermore, to make chilaquiles the salsa is added to the pan with the fried tortilla strips before anything else is added to the pan, whereas with migas the salsa is added at the end. Likewise, Tex-Mex migas are nothing without eggs; they don’t come any other way.

Then, to make things even more confusing, you have your Spanish migas, a dish I ate every Saturday morning when I spent time in Granada my junior year. The word migas in Spanish means “crumbs” and like Tex-Mex migas, Spanish migas are a way to use up something stale, in this case bread instead of corn tortillas. The bread is torn into pieces, soaked in water overnight and then cooked in chorizo fat and served with said sausage and fried eggs. A hearty way to start the day, much like Tex-Mex migas.

This dish is designed to use up your old stale tortillas, though if you only have fresh ones the end result will not suffer. You can use any kind of salsa you have on hand as well—migas taste just as good with a green sauce as with a red. While cheese is pretty much a must, you can also jazz these up with crumbled Mexican chorizo, chopped poblanos, bacon, pico de gallo, onions or whatever else you have lying around. And that’s the beauty of migas—as long as you have your fried tortillas, eggs, cheese and salsas, you can add anything else you like.

Method:
1. In a bowl, whisk eggs together with milk. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
2. In a large iron skillet, heat up peanut oil on medium-high, and place tortilla strips into skillet, cooking for about three minutes, turning once. Remove the tortilla strips with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate. Drain the oil from the skillet leaving 2 tablespoons in the skillet.
3. Add onions and jalapenos to the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes
4. Add egg mixture and tortilla strips to the skillet and let eggs sit for about one minute or until set on the bottom and then gently stir.
5. Sprinkle cheese on top of eggs and continue to cook until melted.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and top eggs with salsa and cilantro.
Serves four. And note that migas go mighty fine with refried beans and flour tortillas.

98 comments:

I JUST learned how to make chilaquiles yesterday, and now I can make migas! I devoured my first plate of them years ago in Texas and still remember how good they were. I agree--they are totally different, but both DELICIOUS! Can't wait to try this recipe. Welcome back to the interwebs. : )

You're making me hungry. Not too many places near Plano for migas either. I would have to go to Dallas for breakfast. LOL, not this week. THANKS for the yummy recipe. My hubby probably will veto making it at home, as he's doing the low/no carb diet right now. No pasta, rice, potatoes or bread, including tortillas! Not me I'm a tortilla kinda girl.

I've never had migas with salsa poured over the top. I'm not from Austin, so maybe that explains it. The only difference between Chilaquiles con juevos and migas in my experience has been that you have to make sure chilaquiles is con juevos. I bet the differences are purely regional. My friends from LA have never heard of chilaquiles without eggs. Whatever the case, eggs with tortilla chips, salsa, cheese and a side of beans are my favorite way to start the day. So glad you blogged you about it!

i LOVE migas! whenever i go back to Austin the migas at Kerby lane are a must for me. And I definitely love the ones at Las Manitas, too. Every time i'm in Austin for a visit I eat migas or breakfast tacos every day...yummm! I might have to make some tomorrow...

Ah Las Manitas, the best place to work on your spanish and get a great breakfast. Definitely, a must to visit next week in Austin. Do you often find that there are too many restaurants to visit? And the list just keeps getting longer!

You are correct in your deduction that Las Manitas's Migas are among the best in Austin and beyond.

The reason they are so great, and If I may offer one critique to your recipe, is that they wait to add the tortilla chips/strips at the very end so they are still crunchy and not soggy. As I am sure you know this adds a wonderful texture to the otherwise 'soft' dish.

Another wonderful recipe and you always make me homesick for Texas even though I live in the dag nab state capital.

I make these all the time for Sunday Brunch. I knew them as huevoquiles, as in instead of the chile sauce you use whipped up eggs and as the eggs cook they sort of coat the chips, freshly fried chips and flavorings lightly held together with egg. Sometimes I put taco sauce in the whipped eggs or I put chopped tomato-onion-jalapeno for a la mexicana. Never heard of migas until Robb Walsh Tex Mex book, maybe that's a Tex Mex term, I'm from San Diego.

I saw this post yesterday and I just had to try this out. I cook alot of Mexican food, so I had all the ingredients on hand. It was so good! I blogged about it if you want to check it out. Thanks for this recipe. We will have it again and again!

I lived in Austin before moving to London - this brought back a lot of good memories of some very delightful breakfasts. (BTW, migas make a great hangover cure.) Your recipe couldn't have been better timed - my mom just paid me a visit and brought back a big ol' stack of corn tortillas. I know what I'm having for breakfast tomorrow. Now if only I could get my hands on some good salsa. Guess I'll have to make my own. =)

Hi HST - Love to hear about Austin migas being whipped up in NYC. I made a new version of migas the other day - frito pie migas. We had a frito pie party the other afternoon after our bambina's christening and with frito's and cheese going stale and chili aging to 3 day old perfection, I whipped scrambled the fritos, chile and cheese into a dozen eggs - frito pie migas. Yum yumxo, monicawalters

Great post! Thanks for the explaination about the 'stale'thing-in Argentina, they eat migas as a bread-crumb dough fried thing or as sandwich bread (Pan de migas) and I have been trying to figure out how it's also a tex-mex egg dish FOREVER! Thank you!

I first had migas in San Antonio and it was a revelation. They used soft corn tortillas so that's how I've always preferred it, but will have to try it the crispier way. Now, this may sound wrong on every level, but tofu makes a fine substitute for the eggs/milk. Delicious, and you can't even tell that it's healthy.

Migas are something I only know of through cookbooks. I made them once but never again and I don't know why because they were delicious. Although not as delicious as this version looks. I'll have to give this a try.

One of the things that I really miss about American life is going out for Sunday brunch. Especially if I'm going to eat migas -- a dish which I have been much prone to ordering during my years in Austin, San Antonio and Houston (all great migas towns).

I wish that I hadn't discovered this recipe on Sunday night! On the other hand, there is the concept that we like to call "breakfast-dinner."

I live in Austin and have had some amazing Migas. I make them at home sometimes but there's nothing like going to Cisco's or one of the many Mexican restaurants on a Saturday or Sunday morning and letting them do the work. And you're right about the refried beans and tortillas on the side. That's required.

Howdy, Homesick! Just found your wonderful blog after looking for a good King Ranch Chicken recipe (cooking that tonight at home in Austin), and I love the rest of what I've found here.

On the subject of migas, I also prefer some crunch left in the tortillas. My Tejano brother-in-law even makes his with the giant-sized Fritos. We don't use salsa (except as a table condiment). Rather, the chips are sauteed with onion, spicy green pepper, and tomatoes until the veggies are softened, the eggs are added in & cooked till almost set, and then the cheese is sprinkled in as the pan is removed from heat.

I'm with Anita on the difference b/w chilaquiles & migas. One of my biggest migas pet peeves is when there aren't enough eggs to ensure that you actually get some little pillows of scrambled egg throughout the mixture.

My favorite spot in town to eat migas is Elsi's on Burnet (durn-it) Road; she also has the most delicious refried black beans on earth. Don't tell anyone about Elsi's, though. We'd hate to have the place become too crowded ;o)

I'm a displaced Texan now living in the Bay Area and this entry made me wax nostalgic to my coworkers about migas. I make them all the time on the weekends, its the only way to get my fix.

Having grown up in inner Houston (heights/montrose), gone to school in San Antonio (Trinity), and spent ample time in Austin i've found that the difference between migas and chilaquiles depends on where you are. In Houston and Austin the definition of either is open to interpretation and there is certainly a grey area between them. In San Antonio the definition is hard and no one plays with it: migas have tortilla strips, eggs, cheese, onions, and salsa; chilaquiles are otherwise the same except they have fresh tomatoes and bell peppers.

And im sorry Maegan, but San Antonio does not have far and away the best Tex Mex, every Texas city has a different feel to it and can't really be compared. San Antonio's Tex mex is kind of conservative and by the book (like San Antonio), Austin's is funky (like austin), Houston's is vast and hard to define (like houston), and Dallas' is just kind of lame and boring(like Dallas). But thats just my 2 cents.

Theresa--Enchiladas in England--that sounds like the title of a song. (Or maybe I'm just thinking of London Homesick Blues.)

Monica--I've found that homemade salsa trumps bottled salsa anyday.

Melissa--It was very, very difficult, but I'm glad I forced myself to do it. And Tex-Mex migas are pretty different from Spanish migas, but just as good.

Yvo--They now serve migas at brunch at Hill Country if you want to try them. But I do hope to meet you soon!

Monica--Now that sounds like heaven on a plate!

Rebecca--You're welcome--it's interesting how each Spanish-speaking country has taken the word and applied it to a dish reflective of its respective cuisine.

Austin--Hmmmmm, I'm not convinced about the tofu, I think you need to make that for me next time I see you.

Amelia--But of course y'all's had New Mexican green chile! What a lovely tradition.

Sheltie Girl--Yes, they are!

Maegan--You're welcome.

Julie--You should make them again, they're so easy and satisfying.

Tace--You'll love it!

Olivia--You're coming in 3 weeks? Where do you plan to eat?

Bee--I think eggs are appropriate any time of day.

Curtis--Yep, migas without refried beans and tortillas is like a sunset without the sun.

Leftymama--Yes, you definitely need a healthy serving of eggs to go with the chips and vegetables. And I don't believe I know Elsi's so I'll definitely have to check it out next time I'm in town.

Travis--Now, now...my family is from Big D, so let's not call it lame and boring--instead, let's just say it's not as wild as other towns in Texas. But like every place, it certainly has its color, too.

I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and have found it very interesting. Last night for supper I made up a big pan of your migas and also made your refried beans. (from canned pinto beans though) It was a fantastic meal! My 13 year old son managed to lift his head from his plate (it's not a pretty sight to watch him eat sometimes!)and declare the migas "great, you need to make these more" Next on my list from your blog is breakfast tacos, your Grandpa's pancakes, and your tortilla recipe. I never had any thoughts about visiting Texas before but your blog may have got me thinking about it!

Hard to believe nobody mentioned Maria's Taco Express for migas - they were featured on the Food Network and were my absolute faves in Austin - the cheese is melted on the griddle until a little crispy and then the egg mixture is placed on top, sort of folded and put in the tortilla - salsa on the side.

I'm so excited to discover this site and all of the great recipes! I just moved from Austin to Louisiana last October and the one thing that I miss the most about Austin is the FOOD! I'm almost embarrassed when I tell people that but it looks like so many people here "get it". :) I can't wait to try the refried beans & flour tortilla recipes!! And now I am having serious cravings for Trudys!!! I even miss just being able to pick up a bean and cheese breakfast taco anywhere I went!

I'm so excited to find your blog! I was just googling a good migas recipe and stumbled across your site, and I love it. I moved to NYC from Austin three years ago, and I still miss the Tex-Mex. Nothing's better than real cheese enchiladas!

I lived in Austin from 1980-1983 and it was a weekend ritual to go out for Migas. Before Las Manitas even opened there were the East Austin places and Trudy's we used to rotate through. Living in Austin was easy in the pre-boom days. I look forward to a trip back soon.

Stubled upon this and I think it's so funny. I was born and raised in Austin and have cooked at Magnolia, Starseed's, and Trudy's. I live in Providence now and I'm about to introduce migas into the menu of the diner I manage the kitchen for. I just hope it catches on!

We called our version tostada when I was a kid and still love to eat it today. We just heat some oil or lard and toss in some shredded corn tortillas, when they are finished cooking we splash in some water for a quick steam and then scramble the egg in. The revolving door of special occasional ingredients include cheese, salsa, chorizo, shredded pork. I worked with a lady whose parents were from Chihuahua and they called this dish bocanita. Call it what you want, it's great anytime of the day.

I'm also a Texan living in New York and can remember many mornings in Austin spent at Las Manitas. I'm sure you've heard that it (the original, at least) has been closed. Soon to be - if not already - demolished to make room for a new Marriott... They are due to reopen in a new location but its still a shame. That strip had such classic Austin character.

I went thru most of the comments so I hope I'm not repeating.I make my migas with leftover chips.As often as I can.I've always considered migas Mexican matzoh brei, having had matzoh brei first. It's basically the same thing but with leftover matzoh from Passover. The only difference is matzoh brei is eaten sweet or savory, with sugar and jams or salt and/or a savory sauce.Sandye

I grew up with this, only we just called it tortilla and egg, my mom used to make it when the corn tortillas were starting to get old. you don't need anything special, just rip up some corn tortillas as many as you want with your eggs and just brown the tortillas first, as much as you want (in whatever oil you want) i like them a little crunchy; then add your eggs and salt and pepper to taste and your done. I always serve with cilantro and refried beans...It's the best and sooo easy! you can throw some hot sauce on them for color and an extra kick

I have long debated with people about the difference between migas and chilaquiles. One distinction I make in the migas in this recipe is that I do not fry the tortillas. I cut them up and mix them in the scrambled eggs right before putting all of it in the pan. The softer tortillas make the migas much better and distinctive from chilaquiles. That is how we do it in the Coachella Valley.

Lisa! Hey, it's Katie B. from college. Alex just turned me on to your blog & it's amazing! Curiously, I was looking for a migas recipe the other day, but the Spanish way, which I understand uses bread instead of tortillas. Would love to hear your take if you've tried it ...

"Homesick Texan" says it all. I just moved to North Carolina from Corpus Christi, TX. I used to just order Migas at a local taqueria, but those don't exist here! So now I need to make them for my husband and me (and all of our new 'northern' friends)! This recipe is GREAT!

Las Manitas closed forever on August 31 according to Cynthia Perez (one of the owners). The restaurant will probably be replaced with a complex of three new Marriott hotels.City council initially tried to convince the Perez sisters to move a few doors down by providing financial assistance in the form of a forgivable loan to the restaurant, but public outcry caused some council members to attach strings to the loan and the owners backed away from the deal.

According to the Statesman, no permits have been filed to indicate that Las Manitas will move without the loan. Marriott developers have applied for demolition permits for the restaurant and other buildings on the block (except for the two landmark buildings on the northwest corner, which will stay in place). They expect to begin construction of the hotel complex next year.

I realize this is an old post, but I just had to comment. I just found your blog today and am in love. As another misplaced homesick Texan, I find it strange the things you miss the most. Tex-Mex being the most prominent. I've given up searching for good Mexican food and have decided to start making my own. Migas is one of my all time favorite foods. I eat it every chance I can whenever I go home.

When we first moved, I searched high and low for someplace to get migas. I finally started asking around. The strange looks I would get when inquiring about Mexican food for breakfast should have tipped me off. One person even suggested Jack-in-the-box. UGH!

Thanks for your posts. I'm off to the store now to buy all the ingredients and I'm going to try my hand at your flour tortillas as well. There is nothing better than hot homemade flour tortillas.

I love this blog! I am getting ready to move away from Austin because I fell in love with a boy in Georgia. But, oh, my heart will miss Austin! I love the migas and Trudy's and wanted to thank you for the recipe! You can bet I will introduce those southerners to the world of migas! :)

Elsi's is truly a gem. A lot of clasic dishes done to perfection as well as great margaritas and some Yucatan dishes you don't see at other places. I used to live right down the street and I miss that area sooooo much. I have been banished to Lockhart and I don't even like BBQ that much...sigh. Anyway, I second using leftover chips. It's a great way to use those too small bits left in the bottom of a bag of Milagro tortilla chips! They're a little thin so I add some in the beginning to infuse the good corny taste, and then some at the end for crunch. It's so fun to read everyone's version of this dish! I love the conversations your blog sparks up! :)

Sorry ...forgot to add the link http://www.midchix.com/mod/groups/topicposts.php?topic=46630&group_guid=14309or if that does not work:http://www.midchix.com/mod/riverdashboard/and then head over to the Mama Can Cook flock!P.S. I am making Kolaches today! Oh how I miss my sweet Czech Granny! By the way-I have relatives in West!

I'm a Texan of Mexican descent and we routinely made migas at home. Though we never, ever, ever put cheese on them -- whether this was because they traditionally don't have cheese on them or it's because my parents were accommodating my anti-cheese tastes is unknown. But we used to fry thinly sliced corn tortilla strips in vegetable oil until they were nice and crispy, add eggs and salsa, sprinkle on some salt, scramble, and serve.

I've also added thin strips of salami and finely diced onion to my migas (fried just after the tortilla strips get crispy), but even now that I've overcome my anti-cheese bias, I still cannot imagine migas with cheese. To me, if you add cheese to migas it becomes chilaquiles.

BTW, I appreciate hearing that there are lots of Texas expats who get tortillas shipped to them. If I could have things my way, I'd love to live in London, but I'd have to have HEB's tortillas and a large shipment of serrano peppers coming in on a regular basis if that were the case. My homemade salsa recipe involves a ton of serranos and it is a thousand times better than anything you can get from a jar at a grocery store. And HEB's homestyle corn and flour tortillas are my absolute favorite store-bought tortillas.

The first time I had migas, I was eight years old. My much older sister had come home from UT for the weekend, and my parents had left her to feed my younger sister and myself. She made scrambled eggs with cheddar and salsa, and mixed in broken white corn Tostitos. While this wasn't traditional (hello, Fort Worth in 1993), it was good. Since then, I've been to Austin and had the real thing, and now make them regularly in my Upper East Side kitchen. My Brooklyn-born boyfriend love them.

I was in Austin a few years back and went looking for somewhere to have breakfast. Saw the sign for Avenue Diner and we went in expecting bacon and eggs. To our delight, it turned out to be Las Manitas and we sat down to a wonderful plate of MIgas with refried beans. It was so good, we went back every morning we were there. Sad to hear that it is closed.

Lisa, my once a week treat is chilaquiles breakfast tacos at LasPalapas. Eggs, Tortilla Strips, etc..... but the best part is their Ranchero Sauce. I always get an extra helping of it. I've tried to be like you and replicate something that I love but I just can't get this sauce right. When you come to San Antonio for your book signing I would really love it if you would go to LasPalapas and order the chilaquiles with extra Ranchero Sauce. Maybe you can figure out how to make it and share it with us. I plan to be at the book signing. See you there!

oh, how i miss migas from trudy's. i don't know if it's been mentioned but i know they must use they're queso in the migas which makes it nice and gluey. served with fried potatoes or beans..mmm... best hangover food! i worked for chuy's for several years and it's been a long time, but they're queso is made with the easy cheese they get from sysco and they're homemade green chile sauce is added to it. i also found chuy's tomatillo/deluxe tomatillo sauce recipe online. i made it and it was amazing!!! now, if anyhone can come up with the cream jalapeno dressing i'll be set! http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/dining/entries/2010/12/22/restaurant_recipes_chuys_delux.html

We just moved to Austin a few months ago, and I have to say Migas are hands down the best thing I have found so far! Missing our Cuban and Caribbean treats from South Florida, but Migas are a new favorite for us. We haven't tried making them at home yet, but I was looking for a receipe so we could try this weekend. Thanks for providing it!

Oh, and if you're in New York City, check out the great food on the Lower East Side. The best pizza, bagels, and motzah ball soup on the planet!

Love both migas and chilaquiles. I used to live in Dallas and miss brunch food at La Duni so much. These are my kind of recipes, especially in Virginia where no one else is cooking this sort of thing! Thanks for the post!

Great recipe. You can also add diced tomatoes with the onion pepper step. I like to add additional cheese on the top and then coverthe pan for about a minute to let the chees on top melt. Also goes good with a dollop of queso on top!

My roommate had 9 of her jersey friends staying for the weekend and I wanted an easy egg dish to make for them...I made them migas...none of them had heard of it and thought it was weird I was putting tortillas in it. They thought it was amazing and that, combined with biscuits and gravy (they had never had white gravy either!) they were AMAZED.

Thanks for the Lobo tip...I go there whenever I crave fried okra but hadn't tried it for brunch yet :)